For the past 47 years, Section VI high school football championships have been played at Highmark Stadium. But now with the Buffalo Bills opening their new football stadium this fall, the Section VI Championships had to find a new home, and they did what they’re calling the next best thing.
The University at Buffalo’s Broadview Stadium will now be the new host site following an announcement of a partnership with UB.
Section VI Executive Director Mark DiFilippo says it was a pretty clear decision to move the two-day championship series to UB.
"I think it's a no-brainer, you know, we got a top-notch Division I football program with a beautiful stadium sitting right there in Amherst. To me, it's the next best thing," he said.
Moving from an NFL to a college stadium can bring a different experience for everyone involved, especially the players, but DiFilippo says emulating that same environment will be key.
“As an adult, being down there on that football field and you see those kids run out of the tunnel, you see inside those face masks, and their eyes popping out of their helmets, just excited to be in that facility. We want to try to emulate that for the next generation of kids," said DiFilippo.
As far as the four-decade-long partnership with the Bills, DiFilippo understands the organization needs time to enjoy its new home.
“They haven't lived in their new house yet," he said. "I joked with people. I said, If you bought a brand-new BMW, are you going to just turn the keys over to your 16-year-old right away? That's the analogy I used. They've got to live it. They've got to enjoy their new facility first, before they start bringing in guests.”
Although they are excited about the partnership with UB, Section VI says they don't believe this is a sign that the door is fully closed with the Bills.
There are a few prominent connections between the Section VI high school football scene and the University of Buffalo.
"We have notable head coaches who were stars that played at UB, Steve McDuffie, the coach at Bennett, and Chad Bartosz, the Salamanca football coach." DiFilippo added, "That's a good connection. Plus, you think about the kids that have played in our championship games, that have then played at UB, you know, most notably, and most recently, Joe Andreessen, from the Buffalo Bills."
The Section VI football championships will be played on Thursday and Friday, November 12 and 13, 2026.
